Posted May 3 - 2024Headteacher's Newsletter
what's happening at Chesham Grammar
Posted on: January 20th 2023
Head's Blog
Parents' Evenings
I hope those of you with a child in Year 8 found the Parents' Evening last night useful. We have three such evenings remaining this year, all of which will be held in-person at school. As a reminder, when we reviewed online parents' evenings at the end of last year, we decided on a hybrid model this year, with evenings for those in years 7, 10 and 12 (i.e. for those in their first year at CGS as well as those in the first year of GCSEs or A levels) being held in person and the rest online. We will of course review this when we have got to the end of the cycle and as we begin to plan for next academic year.
Welcome to...
This week, we have welcomed three new colleagues who between them will be covering Miss Sichla's lessons when she goes on maternity leave next Friday. Welcome to Niamh Collier, Sarah Eldridge and Alan Corbett.
While I am on baby-related news, I am delighted to share with you that Mr Patteson's wife gave birth to their fourth child, a boy named Benjamin George, in the early hours of Tuesday morning. Benjamin was a late arrival and in fact we hadn't expected to see Mr Patteson back with us at the start of term! He is now on paternity leave until January 31st. We send the Patteson family our congratulations and best wishes.
Year 13 mocks
Year 13s began their mock exams on Monday and we are impressed by the way in which they are approaching them. Students in this year group did not sit their GCSEs because of exams being cancelled in 2021. We are keeping a close eye on them as we know this is the first time they have taken public exams, as was the case for those in the year above them. As always, if you have any concerns about your child, please get in touch with us.
Birthday tea
Due to mock exams for Year 13s, there has not been an 18th birthday tea this week but I very much enjoyed meeting with Jessie, Pierre, Isabelle and William in Year 7 who have celebrated their 12th birthday during the last week or so.
Well done to...
…Daniel in Year 9 who has won the Pony Club Area Dressage Competition. A recent injury meant that he had not been able to practice for some time so this really was an excellent achievement. This has qualified him for the Spring National Pony Club Competition next month. Well done also to Lochlann in Year 8 who won the gold medal in 50m butterfly at the Berks and South Bucks County Swimming Championships.
Strike action
You will undoubtedly have heard much in the news this week about strike action being taken by the largest of the education unions, the NEU, in relation to teachers' pay, school funding and teacher recruitment and retention. All of these issues are ones which concern members of the teaching profession. The first day of NEU strike action will be Wednesday, February 1st with three further dates to follow in March (1st, 15th and 16th) and there will undoubtedly be some impact on schools up and down the country. When we have undertaken the necessary risk assessment, I will write to parents with details of how this action will affect CGS.
School uniform reminder
It is good to see so many students appropriately dressed for the cold weather we are currently experiencing. Just a reminder that we ask that school coats are black, navy or grey and the same applies to a scarf or hat, should a child choose to wear these items. Also, a reminder that stud earrings only are permitted for school.
School sport this week
Congratulations to our U13 Boys Table Tennis Team. Seb, Ben, Rahul and Oscar, all in Year 8, played in the Zone Final of Table Tennis England's National Schools Championships in Birmingham last weekend, qualifying for the Regional Final in February. Well done! There have been fixtures in a range of sports though unfortunately some were cancelled due to frozen pitches. Some of the results from this week can be found on the CGS Sport and PE Team’s Twitter feed. The schedule for practices and matches next week is in the link.
Teach in Bucks
Finally, for anyone who might be considering a career in teaching, please be aware that there is a Teach in Bucks event on Saturday 4th February at Buckinghamshire New University (Wycombe campus) between 11am and 3pm. The event is an opportunity to find out about the routes into teacher training available in our local area. There will be information sessions delivered by different course providers, as well as stalls and exhibits by local training providers and the DfE. Information can be found in the flyer.
With best wishes for a relaxing weekend,
Annmarie McNaney
Headteacher
